Vacuum cleaner with rotary floating dust brush supported solely from the mid-point



w. o. LANGILLE EIAL 2,581,962 VACUUM CLEANER WITH ROTARY FLOATING DUST BRUSH Jan. 8, 1952 SUPPORTED SOLELY FROM THE MID-POINT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1945 F n I 10 8 N we 7 mm M a m m Oh w m kw H Ma 3 MM m I N M. Q1- M Q KN K m 09% .8 x &. an m .mm. mm xmm mm l A Q w w w A R K Q w f and Edgar Z2 Jabrn er 1952 w. o. LANGILLE ETAL 2, 8

VACUUM CLEANER ITH ROTARY FLOATING DUST BRUSH SUPPORTED SOLELY FRQM THE MID-POINT Filed March 17, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 2 6 Whack/j Jan. 8, 1952 w. o. LANGILLE ETAL 2, 62

VACUUM CLEANER WITH ROTARY FLOATING DUST BRUSH SUPPORTED SOLELY FROM THE MID-POINT Filed March 17, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 arwc/wtow zdzszfmd 0. zan me JJoward .AZShuma/er and Edga /r R ya/774,67

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 VACUUM CLEANER WITH ROTARY FLOAT- ING DUST BRUSH SUPPORTED SOLELY FROM THE MID-POINT Wilfred 0. Langille, Chester, Howard A. Shumaker, Somerville, and Edgar P. Turner, Fanwood, N. L, assignors to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,360

9 Claims. (Cl. 15-372) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and it has as an object to provide an improved cleaner which is exceptionally low in height and therefore better adapted to operate under furniture than many cleaners now available.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner in which the suction nozzle is maintained at a substantially uniform relation to the surface being cleaned, regardless of the nature or texture of the floor or floor covering.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner in which the rotary dust-brush is permitted to float in the suction nozzle and normally to gravitate into contact with the surface being cleaned, and in which stops are provided for limiting both the upward and downward movement of the dust-brush.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting means for the rotary dust-brush of a vacuum cleaner, by means of which the brush is supported wholly adjacent its mid-portion, thereby permitting the free ends of the brush to move vertically relatively to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a vacuum cleaner having a belt-driven dustbrush, means for housing the brush driving belt to prevent fouling thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means, adjacent the support for the dustbrush, to prevent the winding of threads etc. about the bearing for the brush.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of a vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view, partly in section, of the vacuum cleaner shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a brush-supporting and belt-guarding member later to be described.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the

nozzle.

invention is disclosed as embodied in a vacuum cleaner comprising a cast metal frame or base i, of light weight material, mounted on a pair of separately supported front wheels 2 and a pair of interconnected rear wheels 3. At its forward end the base affords a downwardly opening suction nozzle 4, having top, front and'end walls 4, 4 and 4, respectively, within which is mounted a rotary dust-brush D, later to be described. As shown most clearly at S in Fig. 2, the ends of the brush are spaced from the end walls 4 of the Intermediate its ends the base I is formed with a fan chamber 6 within which is rotatably supported a suction fan I. The fan chamber is formed partly in the frame casting and partly in a cover plate 8 secured upon the frame. The cover plate has a channeled portion 8, extending rearwardly from the fan chamber, which cooperates with a complemental channel formed in the upper face of the base to provide a dust passage 9 which extends from the fan chamber to a discharge orifice 9 at the rear end of the cleaner where it connects with a dust bag B, secured to the base I.

The fan I is secured upon a jackshaft I0 journaled in bearings II and I2 provided, respectively, by the base I and the cover plate 8. At its upper end, the fan shaft I0 carries a pulley I3 which is driven, through a belt I4, from a similar pulley I5 carried by the upright shaft of an electric motor M, mounted within the rear portion of the base I.

A handle, designated generally as H, and shown partially in Fig. l, is pivotally connected to the opposite sides of the frame I and serves as means for moving the cleaner forwardly and backwardly over a surface to be cleaned. The handle may be locked in any one of three positions by means of a manually controlled latch I6 engaging any one of three notches a, b, and 0 formed in a latchbar I1 supported by lugs I8 and I9 provided, respectively, by the cover plate 8 and the upper end cap 20 of the motor M.

Secured upon the upper portion of the base I, and overlying the cover 8, pulleys I3 and I5, belt I4 and motor M, is an appearance housing or hood 2| made of light weight material such, for example, as aluminum or a suitable plastic. At its front end, the hood 2| is provided with an opening 22 for the emission of light rays from an electric light 23 mounted on the cover plate 8 and connected to the electric conductors of the cleaner in a conventional manner.

The dust-brush D is supported and operated solely from its mid-portion and is permitted to float bodily in the suction nozzle and to tip laterally therein. To that end, the body of the dustbrush is made in two spaced apart sections and 5 both secured upon a common shaft 24 and each carrying a single row of bristles 5 and 5 respectively. Each of the rows of bristles is in the form of a helix which preferably extends completely around one section of the brush body and from one end thereof to the other. The helixes have opposite directions of lead so that one counteracts the lateral thrust of the other, thus preventing endwise displacement of the brush under the action of the bristles of the brush on a floor covering. Inasmuch as the rows of bristles 5 and 5 extend completely around the brush sections 5 and 5 and wherefore, at all times, some portion thereof contacts with the underlying floor surface and supports the brush. it becomes practical so to mount the brush that it may gravitate into contact with the surface being cleaned. Were the contact of the bristles with the underlying surface not continuous, intermittent and periodic contact of the bristles with the surface would set up undue vibrations in the brush and objectionable noise in the cleaner.

Supporting the shaft 24, intermediate the brush sections 5' and 5 are two non-rotary threadguards 25 each having a bearing hub 26, and a cup-like portion comprising a disk 21 and an annular flange 23 within which is housed the inner end of one of the brush sections.

The dust-brush D is supported solely from its mid-portion by means of a channeled or troughlike housing 29 (Fig. 5), substantially U-shaped in cross section, having its rear end 30 bearing against and fulcrumed upon a wall 3| forming a part of the base I and depending from the support 32 for the bearing ll of the fan shaft I0. At its forward end, the spaced sidewalls 29 of the member 29 are provided with upwardly and forwardly inclined slots 33 which receive the hubs 26 of the stationary thread-guards 25 thus supporting the shaft 24 and thereby the dust-brush. To prevent rotation of the thread-guards with the dust-brush, each one is provided with a laterally projecting pin 34 adapted to engage the upper wall of the slot 33 in the brush-supporting member 29.

The fan shaft [0 projects below the bearing ll an effective housing for the belt 35 to prevent fouling thereof.

A portion of the,weight of the dust brush and the member 29 is sustained by a leaf spring 38 attached to the inner face of a bottom closure plate 39 removably secured to the under side of the base i, thus preventing excessive brush pressure on the floor covering. The forward edge 39 of the plate 39 forms the rear lip of the suction nozzle while the forward lip of said nozzle is formed by a sheet metal member 40 secured to the inner face of the vertical forward wall 4 of the nozzle 4. Dust-laden air entering the nozzle 4, between the lips 39 and 40, passes through a 4 passageway P, between the closure plate 39 and the upper wall of the base I, and thence upwardly through opening 41 to the eye of the fan chamber, from which it is discharged through dust passage 9 and orifice 9' to the dust bag.

The present construction is designed to maintain the dust-brush uniformly in contact with the upper surface of the floor or floor covering being cleaned without bearing heavily thereupon. This is effected by permittingthe brush to have a limited float in the nozzle and sustaining the major portion of the weight of the brush and its carrier by the spring 38. Upward movement of the brush is limited by a stop member 42, preferably in the form of a rubber bumper, provided by the nozzle 4 above the portions 29 of the brush-supporting member 29. Downward movement of the brush, as for example when the cleaner is lifted, is limited by the nose 29 of the member 29 engaging the upper inclined wall of the sheet metal member 40 above mentioned.

It will be understood that the pull of the belt 35 will hold the hubs 26, which afford the bearings for the brush shaft 24, within and against the rounded closed ends of the slots 33 in the bifurcated brush-supporting member 29.

Although the brush is supported more or less rigidly at its mid-portion, it is sufficiently free to permit the opposite ends thereof to have slight vertical movements relative to each other, thereby enabling the brush to adapt itself to uneven surfaces. This is particularly useful when cleaning partially off the edge of a rug as it permits one end of the brush to contact the face of the rug while the other end thereof contacts the surface of the floor, which is at a lower level. Thus the brush is enabled to engage the floor closer to the edge of the rug than otherwise would be possible.

The front wheels 2 of the cleaner are mounted on individual axles 43, journaled in bushings 44, secured in open ended slots 45, formed in lugs 46 depending from the underside of the frame casting i. Steel inserts 41, pressed into the enlarged lower ends of the slots 45 and frictionally engaging the walls thereof, bear against the bushings 44 and hold them in fixed position in the slots 45.

The rear wheels 3 are fixedly secured upon a common axle 48, journaled in bushings 49, secured in slots 59 formed in lugs 51 also depending from the frame casting I. The bushings 49 are secured in the slots 50 by steel inserts 52, as above described in connection with the wheels 2. Inasmuch as both of the rear wheels are fixedly secured upon a common axle, the wheels and the axle turn as a unit. This is particularly advantageous when the cleaner is being pushed from a floor surface onto a rug at an acute angle to the edge thereof.

In the operation of cleaners in which the rear wheels are journaled independently of each other, movement of the cleaner over the edge of the rug, at an acute angle to such edge, causes one wheel to engage the edge of the rug before the other wheel, whereupon the rotation of one wheel tends to be obstructed by the rug while the wheel is moved bodily with the cleaner. If the rug is light or flimsy, this bodily movement of the non-rotating wheel against the edge of V the rug will frequently cause the edge portion of the rug to be curled or wrinkled before the wheel can pass thereover.

With the two rear wheels interconnected as proposed by this invention, the wheel which has not contacted the edge of the rug will transmit rather than to push laterally thereagainst.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, the wheels 2 and 3 are unusually wide, as compared with the.

having a discharge orifice and a suction nozzle having top, front and end walls; means for effecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge orifice; a rotatable dust-brush located within said nozzle and having its ends disconnected from and spaced from said end walls; and means engaging the mid-portion of the brush for supporting and rotating it in said nozzle said means having spaced side walls with upwardly and forwardly inclined slots for supporting the mid-portion of said brush and said slots being so constructed and arranged as to allow the brush to tin laterally.

2. A vacuum cleaner comprising a frame affording a suction nozzle and a fan chamber; a shaft journaled in said frame and having a downwardly projecting end; a suction fan secured to said shaft and located in said chamber; means to rotate said shaft and thereby said fan; a brush-supporting member fulcrumed on said frame rearwardly of said shaft and having a portion located within said nozzle including a pair of spaced sidewalls having therein open ended slots; non-rotatable bearing members fitted in said slots and each having a cup-shaped portion; a dustbrush located within said nozzle and comprising a shaft joumaled in said bearing members and a two-section brush body secured to said shaft, the sections being spaced apart axially on op posite sides of said brush supporting member, the inner ends of said brush sections being housed within said cup-shaped portions; and a belt extending through said member for rotating said brush from the projecting end of said shaft journalled in said frame.

3. A vacuum cleaner comprising a frame affording a suction nozzle and a fan chamber; a

. shaft journaled in said frame and having a downwardly projecting end; a suction fan secured to said shaft and located in said chamber; means to rotate said shaft and thereby said fan; a brush supporting member fulcrumed on said frame rearwardly of said shaft and having spaced and slotted sidewalls located within said nozzle; bearing members fitted within the slots in said sidewalls; a dust-brush rotatably supported at its mid-portion wholly by said bearing members: means to prevent rotation of said bearing members; and a belt extending through said member for rotating said brush from the projecting end of said shaft.

4. A vacuum cleaner comprising a. frame affording a suction nozzle and a fan chamber; an upright jackshaft journaled in said frame and having a pulley on its upper end; a suction fan secured to said jackshaft and located in said chamber; an electric motor mounted in said frame withits shaft upright; a pulley on said motor shaft; a belt connecting said pulleys torotate said jackshaft and thereby said fan; a brush supporting member fulcrumed on said frame rearwardly of said jackshaft and having its forward end located within said nozzle; 9. dust-brush rotatably supported at its mid-portion wholly by the forward end of said member; and a driving element extending through said member for rotating said brush from the lower end of said jackshaft.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination, a frame having a suction nozzle and a discharge orifice; means for eifecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge orifice; a narrow floating member having a portion located within said nozzle and fulcrumed on said frame, said last named floating member being substantially U-shaped in cross section and having in its forward end a pair of upwardly and forwardly inclined/slots; a bearing hub supported in each of said slots, and a dustbrush located within said nozzle and having a mid-portion thereof journzfed in said bearinghubs which constitute the ole support for positioning said dust-brush in said nozzle.

6. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination, a frame having a suction nozzle and a discharge orifice; means for effecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge orifice; a narrow floating member having a portion located within said nozzle and fulcrumed on said frame, said last named floating member being substantially U- shaped in cross section and having in its forward enda pair of slots; a bearing'hub supported in each of said slots, a dust-brush located within said nozzle and having a mid-portion thereof journaled in said bearing hubs which constitute the sole support for positioning said dust-brush in said nozzle; means for yieldingly supporting a portion of the weight of said floating member as well as for supporting a portion of the weight of said dust-brush; and means for limiting the vertical movements of said floating member in said frame.

7. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination, a frame having a suction nozzle and a discharge orifice; means for effecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge orifice; a trough-like member having a portion located within said nozzle and fulcrumed on said frame and having spaced walls; bearing hubs supported by the front end of said spaced walls of said trough-like member, a dustbrush located within said nozzle and having a mid-portion thereof journaled in said bearing hubs which constitute the sole support for positioning said dust-brush in said nozzle; pin members extending between said hubs and said spaced walls thereby preventing rotation of said hubs; and means including a driving element located within said member for rotating said brush.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination, a frame having a suction nozzle, a discharge orifice and a pair of spaced depending guard walls formed integral with said frame adjacent the center thereof; means for effecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge orifice; a dust-brush located within said nozzle, a floating member substantially U-shaped in cross section fulcrumed on said frame and engaging only the mid-portion of the brush and thereby rotatably supporting and .constituting at the mid-portion the sole support pending guard walls and cooperating therewith to form a housing to prevent fouling of said brush-driving element.

9. In a vacuum cleaner, in combination, a frame having a forwardly positioned suction nozzle and a rearwardly positioned discharge orifice; means, including an intermediately positioned rotatable shaft and a suction fan secured thereto, for effecting a flow of air inwardly through said nozzle and outwardly through said discharge oriflce; means for rotating said shaft; a dust-brush located within said nozzle, said brush having floating ends that are disconnected from contact with the vacuum cleaner frame; means including a driving-belt for rotating said brush directly from said fan shaft; and a member for supporting said brush in said nozzle, said member being pivotally supported at a point adjacent said fan shaft, and said member having in its forward end a pair of forwardly inclined slots; a bearing hub supported in each of said slots, said bearing hubs contacting the dust-brush adjacent its mid-point and 8 constituting the sole support afforded said dustbrush, and said belt which drives said brush acting to hold said hubs in said slots thus permitting the brush to have limited tilting movement about its mid-point.

- WILF'RED O. LANGILLE.

HOWARD A. SHUMAKER. EDGAR P. TURNER. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

